If You Are Pregnant You Need These Two Shots.
Few people know that it is important to get the TDaP vaccine and, if possible, the flu shot during every pregnancy. These vaccines protect your child from influenza and whooping cough during the first few months of life when they are too young to receive these vaccines on their own.
In the last three months of pregnancy, the fetus receives antibodies through the placenta . For best results, the CDC recommends getting the TDaP vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of each pregnancy . TDaP immunizes you and your child against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, also known as whooping cough.
A flu shot can provide similar protection . Because flu shots are different every year and immunity diminishes over the course of the year, you should get the flu shot even if you had it in previous years.
Both vaccinations are safe for pregnant women, and the CDC recommends everyone get them, unless your doctor has told you not to . (This is a change from years ago, when I had to take a doctor’s note with me to the pharmacy that said I could get it even if I was pregnant. We now know that a flu shot during pregnancy is safe, and that the benefits far outweigh the risks.) Not everyone agrees with the latest recommendations, so if your doctor hasn’t mentioned these two vaccinations, be sure to ask.